Two missiles fired by the unmanned aircraft hit a house in the village of Khushali Turikhel, 40 kilometres (25 miles) east of Miramshah, the main town in the lawless North Waziristan tribal district, security officials told AFP.

“The US drone fired two missiles which hit a house. At least three militants have been killed,” a Pakistani security official said.

The identities of those killed in the attack were not immediately clear but security officials said they were all local Taliban militants.

A security official and a local intelligence official confirmed the attack and the number of casualties.

Another intelligence official in Miramshah said there were reports that foreigners were among the dead, adding that the death toll could rise.

Although the United States does not publicly confirm drone attacks, its military and the CIA in Afghanistan are the only forces that deploy the unmanned Predator aircraft in the region.

North Waziristan is the headquarters of the Haqqani leadership and the main militant bastion in the semi-autonomous tribal belt.